'Welcome to hell': An eerie silence washes over war-torn eastern Ukraine

HORLIVKA AND DONETSK, Ukraine – The two sparsely bearded young rebels raised their hands and automatic rifles, as we approached their rickety block post comprised of sand bags and linden tree trunks, stacked like Lincoln Logs and dusted with fresh snow. It wasn’t the first nor would it be the last to pass through, as we approached Donetsk, the pro-Russian rebel stronghold on Friday. See also: The 'tough as nails' medics on Ukraine's bloody front lines But visible through the windshield was a...